Celebrating Juneteenth (June 19)
June 19 is referred to as Juneteenth. It is a day of celebration that honors the end of slavery in the United States, when news of emancipation and the end of Civil War finally reached the last group of slaves in the United States. It is also known as Emancipation Day and Black Independence Day.
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
– General Orders, Number 3; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came 2½ years earlier on January 1, 1863, many slave owners continued to hold their slaves captive after the announcement, so Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth officially became a Texas state holiday. Texas was the first state to grant this emancipation celebration. Although Juneteenth is not a federal holiday, 45 other states and the District of Columbia have also commemorated or recognized the day and have added it to the list of official holidays.
In addition to being a day of celebration, we encourage you to use it to advance your learning on racism, slavery, and America. Please find below more upcoming events and resources related to Juneteenth and to anti-racism.
Resources
The following list of Juneteenth resources has been curated by Dr. Maurice Jackson
Official Website
Juneteenth World Wide Celebration
Web Articles
What Is Juneteenth? African American History Blog | The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross- Henry L Gates
Why Juneteenth Must Be Celebrated – The Atlantic
Juneteenth Independence holiday: here’s what you need to know | US news | The Guardian
Why Juneteenth Celebrates the New Birth of Freedom | At the Smithsonian | Smithsonian Magazine
Journal Articles/Print
Happy Juneteenth Day: African American ‘Holiday’ May Finally Receive Some National Recognition By White, Paula M Black Enterprise, Vol. 26, No. 11, June 1996
Juneteenth: Tracking the Progress of an Emancipation Celebration By Wiggins, William American Visions, Vol. 8, No. 3, June-July 1993
Books
Ralph Ellison, Juneteenth : A Novel. New York: Vantage, 2000
MItch Kachun, Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808–1915. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2003. .
William H Wiggins, Jr., O Freedom! Afro-American Emancipation Celebrations. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1987. Written by the preeminent folklorist of Juneteenth, this text places the holiday within the context of other African American celebrations.